amjamin

The high arches atop the Victorian columns of Scotiabank's King Street Branch lend old character to the façade of the building Imagine climbing a flight of stairs made of marble - the white shiny stone with black inlays. The flight opens up to a grandiose ceiling rising, and you find yourself in a hall surrounded by white marble, which also extends to the columns and countertops. No, this not transcending to romanticised poetry, nor by any figment of imagination is this a dream. This is a bank. Cold, hard currency and financial instruments are the last things that would come to anyone's mind in this early-20th century building - the King Street branch of Scotiabank, to be exact. A grand Victorian structure in downtown Kingston. "Not only does our branch boast a number of beautiful art pieces from a wide cross section of Jamaican artists," said Linley Reynolds, branch manager, King Street. "The building itself is an impressive piece of art and a Kingston...

The Simón Bolívar Cultural Centre at North Parade in downtown Kingston The pen is mightier than the sword, it is said, which is true, as the ink flowing from the nib has changed the course of history and become, and still is, that catalyst for revolutions. A Venezuelan learnt this in Jamaica, as his thoughts flew from his pen to ink his ideas, which became the blueprint of how Latin America would be shaped in the coming years. Two hundred years ago, Simón Bolívar sought refuge in Jamaica to escape from counter-revolutionary forces, a time he spent to reflect and plan a course of action. It is here he penned 'Letter from Jamaica', in which he expounded his thoughts for republican government and Latin American unity. An ode to this revolutionary, The Simón Bolívar Cultural Centre at North Parade in downtown Kingston stands as a testament to his life and time spent on the island. "His struggle, his letter and his philosophies are of great importance to Jamaica toda...

Carl Lauder started working when he was a teenager and has since kept going Carl Lauder gently pulls out a record from its cover, dusts it and places it on the turntable, gently placing the needle on the groove, and lets the player turn out the sounds of music. Lauder is not a fancy disc jockey, in Randy's Record Mart in Parade, downtown Kingston - a melting pot of the city - he is striving to preserve and keep a musical tradition alive. "I have been working here (at Randy's) since I was a teenager," said Lauder, as he meticulously wiped traces of dust from an LP (long play) record. "I love what I am doing and this gives me the motivation to carry on." Lauder is a lone soldier, treading the path to keep the romance of analogue tones alive in the 21st-century digital world. Randy's is testimonial to the crests of the island's musical history. Sounds of silence: A stack of vinyl in the recording studio Established by Vincent 'Randy...

Mobile Suit Gundam “Whenever there were problems that could not be solved at work, we always said if Doraemon could come and fix them,” said Mieko Araki, cultural officer, Embassy of Japan, pointing to the caricature of the robotic cat from the future. Doraemon may never have come to Araki’s rescue, but the unequivocal faith and she and almost all Japanese have on the manga, (translated “impromptu sketches”), makes them more than cutie pies with cutie smiles and more profound than mere figurines of a plasticated pop culture. integral part of culture “These cartoons and characters are an integral part of Japanese culture,” Hiromoto Oyama, first secretary at the Embassy of Japan in Jamaica, who grew up eptomising the gigantic robot Manziger Z. “Through them,” Oyama continued, “we get reinforced key and core values and customs.” Oyama said that through manga, every Japanese learns the way of life, how to make friends and learn basic human instincts. Aspects of manga in ...

Engine 54, which was built in 1944 at the Kingston Railway terminus What is romance, one might ask ... the sheer joy and rush of adrenalin, or as Oscar Wilde said, the very essence of romance is uncertainty. For all of us it is that human to human connection and can cold steel make you skip a heartbeat? The Georgian architecture facade of Kingston railway terminus epitomizes its grandiose demeanor. The cool blue painted walls and the silence along the corridors, oblivious of the blaring traffic zipping zapping and zooming by, just stand still. Even the air encasing the railway terminal seems to be of a different era - replete with hustle and bustle at the ticket counters; the impeccably uniformed railway staff stamping the tickets;, maintenance staff; the passengers, some in their finery and others lugging their wares, catching a breath as they wait for the announcement of the departure of the next train; the aroma of food cooking and the clanking of the co...

A collage showcasing ArtUpDownTown, a collaboration between CARIMAC and Studio 174.  Think of downtown Kingston, and pictures of a sea of humanity traversing across alleys, vying for space in between handcarts, vendors on the pavements trying to outsell the other flash past. It might seem chaotic to many, but this is symbolic of vibrancy and, most important, life. This enigma, which unfolds like layers of mysteries being solved, has been captured by a group of youngsters, as they highlight ‘ArtUpDownTown’ For those familiar with political terminologies, Kingston can very well be defined as the proverbial north-south divide, the ‘sterile’ and the ‘unkempt’, ‘ArtUpDownTown’ is an attempt to converge those two distinct aspects of Jamaica’s capital city. Capturing downtown Kingston life on mix media, ArtUpDownTown highlights its sights, sounds and the vibrancy “Its aim is to empower more Jamaicans to tell their own stories through audio, video, and photography, whil...

"All the world's a stage ... ." The words echo from William Shakespeare's As You Like It. For the Ward Theatre, the stage is the world from which voices echoed, scenes were enacted, and emotions played out to a rousing audience. All that echoes now are sounds of silence, ricocheting from the dark and dim emptiness, and rays of sunlight that permeate the doors and dissipate into the opulent interiors. Charles James Ward built the present structure, its third avatar, in 1912, the theatre opened its doors on December 16 of the same year. Ward, who was the custos of Kingston, is the 'Nephew' in the rum manufacturing company J. Wray & Nephew, which provided the enabling funds. "The Ward Theatre is a magnificent structure, with history written deep into its fabric", said Doreen Thompson of the Ward Theatre Foundation. The Ward Theatre, over the decades, has had its share of anticlimaxes. Here once stood Kingston Theatre, built in 1775...

Bust of Sir Alexander Bustamante housed in the Bustamante Museum. This is a chapter of the island’s history that is tucked into a quiet neighbourhood in Kingston. Surrounded by lush greenery ­ every brick and every ounce of mortar at 24 Tucker Avenue stands as a living testimony to the life and times of Jamaica’s first Prime Minister Sir Alexander Bustamante. “The idea to convert the property into a museum started in 2006, which was realised in 2009, when the museum opened,” said Nora Strudwick, executive director of the Bustamante Museum. The premises, home to Sir Bustamante and his wife Gladys Longbridge, houses a diverse collection of memorabilia, which include the former prime minister’s letters, objects from his early adult years spent abroad in Spain, Cuba, and the United States. From humble beginnings to a world citizen ... replica of the house where Sir Alexander Bustamante was born. Encapsulated in the space is the aura of Sir Bustamante, as tall as his towering...

Taino Heritage by Norma Rodney-Harrack Taking a cue from Ralph Waldo Emerson, who once said, “Make your own Bible. Select and collect all the words and sentences that in all your readings have been to you like the blast of a trumpet.” ’Tis a journey embracing the supreme being in its forms and manifestations. A mosaic of multicultural entities, Jamaica is home to as many denominations and beliefs, some potently evident, others subtle ­ like a spice mix, which exudes aromas and flavours of the island. ‘Explorations II: Religion and Spirituality’ seeks to explore those diversities, laying before creative conversations, expressions and interpretations of the two entities that are sacredly intertwined. “The series explores major themes in Jamaican art, and in the National Art Collection,” informed O’Neil Lawrence, senior curator at the National Gallery of Jamaica. “It aims to engage, in new, more exploratory ways with the artistic and cultural history of Jamaica.” Ancestral...

“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots,” said Marcus Mosiah Garvey ­ epitomised as the pioneer of Black Nationalism and Pan-African movement etched his name in the leaves of history. Garvey’s legacy is etched in 76 King Street, Kingston ­ which is no ordinary address. It is the home to Liberty Hall, the former headquarters of the Kingston Division of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL), and a hotbed of activity. Fully owned and operated by blacks, Liberty Hall hosted plays, concerts, dances, elocution pieces as well as adult and children’s choirs. A new dimension has been added to this vibrant, historical location, which is now home to The Marcus Garvey: The Centennial Travelling Exhibition. “The exhibition,” said Donna McFarlane, director/curator of Liberty Hall, “was launched for the first time in Jamaica on August 17, 2013 ­ the 126th birthday anniversary of Mar...

"Be the change that you wish to see in the world," said Mahatma Gandhi, Indian freedom fighter, apostle of peace. In his words, the change, begins from within, ten young artists are taking the step, to break stereotype, experiment and query. Displayed at the The National Gallery of Jamaica (NGJ) at New Roots: 10 Emerging Artists exhibition, the artists are out to make a bold statement, jumping out the box and breaking the proverbial glass ceiling. NCJ, in a bid to support and attract new and emerging talent has organised this exhibition. "The gallery is excited to unveil a show that will surprise, challenge and hearten the arts community and broader society," said Veerle Poupeye, executive director of NGJ. The exhibition features work by Deborah Anzinger, Varun Baker, Camille Chedda, Gisele Gardner, The Girl and the Magpie, Matthew McCarthy, Olivia McGilchrist, Astro Saulter, Nile Saulter and Ikem Smith. A walk through the exhi...